I grew up before the 24-hour news cycle started, when social media constituted of passing around the headphones of a Walkman as you ‘streamed’ music on the radio. Maybe if one was lucky, they could ‘share’ their cassette recording of said song so everyone could hear it.

It was a suburb of northern New Jersey, not far from the George Washington Bridge but to a teenager it felt like a world away. I mean, I knew I could pay $2.50 and take the 175 bus on NJ transit across the bridge, but that wasn’t a realistic option. I was more likely to catch the bus to the Garden State Plaza in Paramus and wander around the mall.

While I did make a few trips to Flushing, the majority of my fandom was observed from afar. WOR broadcasts the majority of Mets game at the time, but commandeering a television wasn’t always easy. However there was one surefire way to catch the game.

The alarm clock that woke me up for school had a radio and from as early as I can remember, the dial was set to WFAN 660 AM. For as long as I can remember (a number that shrinks by the year thanks to old age), I would go to sleep listening to Bob Murphy and Gary Thorne, then Gary Cohen, describing what was happening less than 20 miles away.

I can remember being on vacation in southern Virginia and if you twisted the dial just right, you could pick up the 50,000 watts of the Flagship State for New York Mets baseball. But when I moved north to Boston for college, that wasn’t possible.

As I grew older and moved farther and farther away from Flushing, I considered getting the MLB Extra Innings package but didn’t have the disposable income available for games I wouldn’t be home to watch. Sure, I made time on the calendar whenever they were featured on ESPN or Fox Saturday baseball, but then something special happened.

The MLB At Bat app became available for free to download, providing news, stats and most importantly – Live Radio Feeds.

I didn’t hear Gary Cohen’s last year before SNY made him part of the best local play-by-play team in baseball, but I can remember hearing Tom McCarthy and wondering why the Phillies guy was calling the Mets game. Wayne Hagin was serviceable at best, but I think they’ve struck gold with Josh Lewin joining Howie Rose.

Rose has always been the voice of the Mets in some form or fashion, whether it was ‘Mets Extra’ before or after the game or just talking about the Mets on WFAN. He’s proven himself a Mets historian of the first order, something you can hear as he routinely spouts facts about the team from the 70s and 80s.

Howard Cosell would say Howie has a face for radio, but he’s also has a voice for it. While he clearly bleeds Orange and Blue, it’s not as obvious as some other area broadcasters I don’t think I have to mention (Cough, cough. John Sterling. Cough, cough.)

As Mets fans, we’re blessed to have great broadcasters and on Thursday at 1 p.m., Howie Rose will start another season searching for the Mets to put it in the books and I can’t wait.

Neil Best of Newsday reports that SNY play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen will not be doing any postseason games for WOR radio as had been speculated by some.

According to Best, Cohen was criticized in some quarters in 2006 for doing guest innings in the Mets’ radio booth during the NLCS — which became more noticeable when he called several key moments, including Endy Chavez’s famous catch in Game 7.

Cohen is now scheduled to appear on pre-game and post-game shows during any home games during the postseason for SNY.

Josh Lewin will continue to partner with Howie Rose on radio except for Game 3 of the NLDS when Wayne Randazzo will cover for him while Lewin works the San Diego Chargers’ Monday Night Football game.

Bob Raissman of the Daily News ripped into Cohen last month, accusing him of big-footing it in 2006 when he pushed his way into the radio booth for the Mets postseason broadcasts.

“The last time the Mets made the playoffs someone thought it would be a swell idea to move Gary Cohen into the radio booth to do two innings of each playoff game.”

“This was big-footing at its worst. Rose and McCarthy had worked almost every regular season game only to have postseason innings stolen by Cohen.”

Raissman says the move treated Howie Rose and Tom McCarthy like two schleps who were incapable of calling such huge games.

I didn’t really see what the big deal was if Gary called an inning or two. Cohen is beloved by the fans and it would have been a nice gesture for someone who most regard as the voice of the Mets.

Hey all you Mets fans out in Cincinnati, OH. Planning on going to the weekend series at Great American Ball Park? If so, stop in at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Museum on September 26th at 1:00 PM for my book signing!

Read about Santana’s no hitter, the only one in team history, from the perspective of Howie Rose, the radio voice who called it for you.

Howie Rose, Tom McCarthy, and Wayne Hagin take you back to that giant scoreboard of Shea and some of the most memorable games ever in The Voices of Baseball. Wanna take a subway ride home with Wayne Hagin after the final game at Shea? It’s in the book, too.

If you’re going to be in the Cincinnati area Sept 26th, come by the Hall of Fame Museum and pick up a copy of The Voices of Baseball.

Afraid they’ll run out? Order one today on Amazon. The first two batches sold out quickly, so order now.

If you love the uniqueness of the game, the setting, and the memories, you’ll love this book.

Over 30 MLB broadcasters of today discuss all 30 ballparks and 30 more from yesterday as well. Vin Scully, Marty Brennaman, Jon Miller, Howie Rose, and many more bring you their greatest and fondest memories of the game in The Voices of Baseball, and there is definitely no shortage of material for Mets fans.

Come out to Great American Ball Park and the Reds Hall of Fame Museum Saturday, September 26th at 1:00 P.M. to discuss broadcasters, baseball, and books. Hope to see you there and if any of you Metsmerized readers stop by, please say hello and let’s talk Mets!

Mr. North Jersey writes…

I was listening to the game on WOR last night, when legendary broadcaster Howie Rose began telling a story about how when Terry Collins arrived in Washington on Monday he was left a note from Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez who had just gotten swept by the Nationals.

The note simply said, “Sorry.”

Braves wanting to help the Mets bury the Nationals?.

Joe D. writes…

What kind of a Mets world is it when you wake up to comments from various Atlanta Braves players, executives, managers and coaches having nothing but nice things to say about our New York Mets?

Already this season I’ve read or heard positive or glowing comments from John Schuerholz, Freddie Freeman, Roger McDowell, and now this interesting gesture from Fredi Gonzalez. For the longest time I’ve considered the Braves to be our mortal enemy and our biggest NL East rival over the past two decades. Turner Field has been a house of horrors for us.

But clearly the landscape regarding our rivalry has changed. It appears public enemy number one is now the Washington Nationals. Perhaps it’s because of how brash, arrogant, and unwavering they have been regarding their dominance in the National League.

And while they have a unanimous MVP candidate in Bryce Harper, he’s not winning any popularity contests with opposing teams and fans. He’s the player that everyone loves to hate, especially among Mets fans.

You may also remember back in July, when Hall of Famer John Smoltz said the Mets rotation has more talent than the illustrious Atlanta Braves rotation that included himself and fellow Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. That rotation is considered by many to be the best in baseball’s modern era.

“They’re way better,” Smoltz told the Daily News. “They’ve got more talent than we could ever have.”

Wow, Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine combined to win seven National League Cy Young Awards while with the Braves so to hear him speak so glowingly about our rotation speaks volumes.

And all this love from the Braves doesn’t end there. Even notorious Mets killer and one of the most vilified baseball rivals Flushing ever had was spotted on Twitter saying this:

One team I would not wanna play the rest of the season…….the New York Mets!! They got some fellas that can flat out….BRING IT!!!

It’s going to take some time before I can wrap my head around all of this. But for now the Washington Nationals have easily displaced the Atlanta Braves as the team I love to hate. We’ll just leave it at that for now.

David Wright told MLB Network Radio that his shoulder feels good and said that last week’s MRI results showed significant improvement compared to previous MRIs. “I’m starting to see some good results,” Wright said regarding his rehab progress. He estimated that he’s about a month away from conducting baseball activities.

“I think everything we know about David’s shoulder is positive,” Sandy Alderson told reporters on Thursday. “I couldn’t tell you that he’s 100 percent today but he’s substantially there. Anytime anybody is coming back from an injury that required him to be shut down the year before there’s some uncertainty.”

Mets manager Terry Collins is hoping that Wright doesn’t start swinging for the fences next season now that Citi Field’s walls are closer.

“I just hope guys don’t get caught up in trying to change too much,” Collins said. “I don’t want to give David Wright a chance to hit home runs. I want David Wright to be a good hitter. As I told him, when he’s swinging a bat good, he’s dangerous. I’ll take some balls off the wall.”

Welcome Back

The Mets made it official and Josh Lewin will indeed return to WOR and team up with Howie Rose for Mets radio broadcasts.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be continuing on with what is truly my dream job,” Lewin said. “I am very thankful to my bosses at WOR, the Mets, and my partner/big brother Howie Rose for making my time in New York such a pleasure.”

Welcome Back 2

The Mets signed first baseman Brandon Allen to a minor league deal with a spring training invite on Thursday. Allen, 28, played mostly for Triple-A Las Vegas last season where he batted .266/.368/.434 with 13 home runs, 64 runs scored and 52 RBI in 375 plate appearances. As a left-handed batter, there’s little chance he breaks camp with the Mets unless Lucas Duda was unable to start the season. Speaking of Duda, he received one vote in the National League MVP balloting from a writer in Ohio.

The Team, The Time

Last night on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, Terry Collins said that there is absolutely no question that the Mets are going to the postseason in 2015. He cites the return of Matt Harvey, the addition of Michael Cuddyer and new hitting coach Kevin Long as the reason for his optimism. He also asserted that more improvements are on the way this offseason.

]]>https://metsmerizedonline.com/2014/11/mets-notes-wrights-shoulder-feels-good-collins-predicts-playoffs.html/feed/125Literally Mets: Blue (and Orange) Inkhttps://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/02/literally-mets-blue-and-orange-ink.html/
https://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/02/literally-mets-blue-and-orange-ink.html/#respondSun, 03 Feb 2013 14:05:19 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=106837[...]]]>While the New York Mets have been relatively quiet this winter, past and present media have stepped up to fill-in-the-blanks. Before Opening Day at least five new Mets-related books have been, or will be, released.

The two most anticipated releases will happen over the next month. Former Mets catcher Mike Piazza will release his autobiography, Long Shot, on February 12. The book was co-written by writer Lonnie Wheeler, a Cincinnati sports columnist, who also wrote autobiographies on Henry Aaron (If I Had a Hammer) and Bob Gibson (Stranger to the Game). In a recent interview with Newsday, Wheeler said Piazza addresses the performance-enhancing drug question head on – and in detail. Wheeler told the newspaper he believes Piazza is “clean.”

While the Piazza book will draw great media interest, it is Howie Rose’s first book, Put it in the Book: A Half-Century of Mets Mania, that may turn out to be the most insightful and revealing read of them all. According to advanced media information, Rose will share his Mets memories, both as a fan and, later, as the Mets radio broadcaster. Sound exciting? No, but the release also notes Rose will share his “thoughts and opinions on the current Mets team and roster and his thoughts on the future of the club.” If Rose is as honest with the written word as he is on the microphone, this could get interesting. The book hits shelves on March 1.

I must admit, I was excited to see Ira Berkow was releasing a Mets-related book titled, Summers at Shea: Tom Seaver Loses His Overcoat and Other Mets Stories. Berkow is a Pulitzer Prize winner and has been covering New York baseball since 1981. Good read, right? I’m concerned. The advanced media says the book is “culled from 50 years’ worth of columns.” That, to me, smells like a reprint of old material, but I will reserve judgment until I read it for myself. Berkow’s book will be released the same day as Rose’s title, March 1.

Mets fan and author Matthew Silverman is also releasing another Mets book on April 2. It is titled Swinging ’73: Baseball’s Wildest Season. According to Joe DeCaro, senior editor at Metsmerized Online, the book is not “your regular everyday telling of the “Ya Gotta Believe” season … instead I was transported through time itself and relived the 1973 season not only from the Mets perspective, but also from that of the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees as well.”

Finally, on New Year’s Eve, Howard Burman quietly released Season of Ghosts: The ’86 Mets and the Red Sox. Burman is an accomplished author and playwright. He describes Season of Ghosts as a story of “one of the most dramatic baseball seasons ever, as it stretched both backwards and forwards–from the ghosts of seasons and players past to the reality of what followed … On an institutional level the game faced critical issues–player contracts, collusion, drugs, free agency, charges of racism, cheating, gambling, the growing popularity of professional football, and the influence of cable TV and satellites. Yet it produced a season of intense drama ending with an unforgettable post-season.” Season of Ghosts is available now.

Francesa said that it’s great that the Mets have fans as announcers, but that they sometimes take it too far in rooting for their team, especially against the Yankees.

Frankly, I love that Rose and Cohen are as die-hard of Mets fans as I am. Yes, I agree that there should be unbiased announcing if the opposing team wins or hits a home run. However, I love the excitement when we hear “It’s Outta Here!” from Cohen or “Put It in the Books” from Rose.

Is it so bad for a fan of the team to be an announcer?

I could see how a Yankees fan would be upset after listening to the Mets broadcast from the weekend. Rose talked about Nick Swisher’s antics after the back-to-back-to-back home runs, and Cohen was not shy about saying that Russell Martin’s first home run was a cheap Yankee Stadium homer.

Gary Cohen and Kevin Burkhardt

But here’s the thing: If Yankee fans are upset about it, go listen to John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on 880. That’s their radio broadcast anyway. Rather than complain about the Mets broadcasters, Yankees fans should have enough to complain about with that interesting duo.

The whole point of radio is to attract an audience. Die-hard Mets fans enjoy Rose and

Cohen because they believe that the announcers are in the same boat. When a Met gets a clutch hit, it’s made that much more special when Rose or Cohen presents the call.Along the same lines, when the Mets blow a save or suffer a heartbreaking defeat—not too uncommon in our team’s history—Rose and Cohen are right their with the fanbase suffering.It’s not like they show up to work, call the game and say goodbye. These guys genuinely care about what they do, and it shows in their passion for the team.

While other teams or fanbases may have a problem with what Rose and Cohen are doing in the booth, they should simply be worried about what Mets fans think. Everyone I know loves them, and I’m sure the vast majority of Mets fans would agree.

]]>https://metsmerizedonline.com/2012/06/its-nice-to-have-fans-as-announcers.html/feed/0Jim Duquette and Others Auditioning To Call Mets Games In 2012https://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/12/jim-duquette-and-others-auditioning-to-call-mets-games.html/
https://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/12/jim-duquette-and-others-auditioning-to-call-mets-games.html/#respondTue, 20 Dec 2011 05:35:21 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=67884[...]]]>Mike Puma reports on some progress in the WFAN radio booth…

A source from the Wall Street Journal told me that the Mets will give the job as Howie Rose’s co-host to whom ever is willing to work for three hots (at Shake Shack) and a cot at the holding cell at Citi Field which has remained vacant since Francisco Rodriguez moved out.

It’s doubtful Wayne Hagin will be back for a fifth year as Howie Rose’s partner in the Mets radio booth. Hagin’s contract has expired and WFAN has been interviewing possible replacements. Hagin previously called Rockies, Cardinals, Giants and A’s games.

I never really took to Hagin…

If they do replace him, I hope they give Howie a good co-pilot, but to be honest I wish they’d let Rose fly solo ala Vin Scully…

]]>https://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/12/jim-duquette-and-others-auditioning-to-call-mets-games.html/feed/0Chris Young Has Spectacular Debut With Metshttps://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/04/chris-young-has-spectacular-debut-with-mets.html/
https://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/04/chris-young-has-spectacular-debut-with-mets.html/#respondWed, 06 Apr 2011 02:00:34 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=47880[...]]]>The Mets were hoping for big things from Chris Young when they signed the right-hander to an incentive laden one-year deal in the offseason, and he gave them just that only most of his heroics were at the plate and not on the mound.

Chris Young came up in the the third inning and singled off southpaw Cole Hamels, then after the Mets batted around, he came up again and lined a broken-bat single to drive in a run and send Hamels to an early shower.

The two hits in one inning was the first time a Mets pitcher had ever performed the feat, so as Howie Rose would say, pu it in the (record) books.

He did a nice job on the mound as well, holding the Phillies to just one run in 5.1 innings and striking out seven batters.

After the game he spoke to SNY’s Kevin Brurkhardt and said, “My shoulder feels good. My fastball had good life, and I was very happy with my splitter… it was an effective pitch for me tonight. I was excited about my performance. I’m glad to be a part of Mets history.”

So far, so good…

Mets are up 7-1 after seven as I write this.

]]>https://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/04/chris-young-has-spectacular-debut-with-mets.html/feed/0One Good Thing About Every Mets Gamehttps://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/05/one-good-thing-about-every-mets-game.html/
https://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/05/one-good-thing-about-every-mets-game.html/#respondWed, 19 May 2010 12:00:15 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=27329[...]]]>I live in an area where my cable provider doesn’t carry SNY. Where ESPN, FOX and TBS often black out their games and no one around here has the MLB network. I do get NESN, but who wants to hear what the SOX are doing and all those noisy advertisements?

For me, this is really wonderful because I get WFAN with the best baseball announcers team now working. (Vin Scully works solo) So for every single Mets game, I can hear Howie Rose, Wayne Hagin and Eddie Coleman and it’s bliss.

I’m sure many of you grew up with a transistor radio tucked under your pillow so you could pretend you were asleep when Mom or Dad checked after lights out as I did. I have three radios – office, living room and bedroom – so I hear it all no matter where I am in the condo. Or I can take my transistor out onto the porch and listen there.

And I listen carefully – each of these men has his own style and his own stories. They carefully describe each pitch, each play and everything else you need or want to know about the game. It never gets boring.

Howie has his signature sign off – “Put It In The Books” – and when I hear that I know it’s time for me to sign off too, but during the season there is always the next game with Howie, Wayne and Eddie to look forward to.

I think it’s baseball as it ought to be.

]]>https://metsmerizedonline.com/2010/05/one-good-thing-about-every-mets-game.html/feed/0Watch Howie Rose Call Mets Game On FOXhttps://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/09/watch-howie-rose-call-mets-game-on-fox.html/
https://metsmerizedonline.com/2009/09/watch-howie-rose-call-mets-game-on-fox.html/#respondFri, 11 Sep 2009 04:17:44 +0000http://metsmerizedonline.com/?p=13038[...]]]>Neil Best of Newsday has learned that WFAN’s Howie Rose will leave the radio broadcast booth where he has done a brilliant job as the Mets’ play by play man, and join Tim McCarver during Saturday’s FOX broadcast of the Mets versus the Phillies.

For those of you still watching the Mets . . . WFAN play-by-play man Howie Rose will call the game against the Phillies on Fox Saturday afternoon. Rose has worked games for Fox before, but never before has he worked with Tim McCarver. He said he is looking forward to it.

I’m looking forward to it too!

Howie ranks right up there with all the great Mets radio and TV announcers of the present and the past.

Be sure to tune in to FOX at 4:00 PM Eastern Time and enjoy the broadcast as well as the game.